Tour De France: Pedal power

The father of the Tour

Henri Desgrange was the (initially reluctant) father of the Tour de France and, as such, the inventor of the sport of bicycle stage racing.

A prominent track cyclist and velodrome owner at the turn of the 20th century, he was appointed editor of the fledgling sports newspaper L’Auto-Velo in 1900 which had a name change to L’Auto in 1903. That same year, convinced by others that sponsorship of a cycling race around France would boost sales, the Tour was born, although Desgrange took no part in its organisation.

Surprised by its success however he took a more hands-on approach the following year, only to be ­dismayed by the disqualification of the first four riders home (because they had been towed by cars or had jumped on buses or trains during the night-time periods of the race!). But he overcame his early doubts to take almost dictatorial control for the next 30 years. The harsh rules and penalties he imposed on riders made him unpopular but the race was exactly what he wanted it to be – a real test of strength and endurance for men of steel.

To the moon and back again

If you had set out in the direction of the moon in 1903 to cycle the combined distance of all the Tour routes that have been run since then, you would now be on your way back.

When is a centenary not a centenary?

It took the Tour de France 110 years to reach its centenary race in 2013 because of the years lost to the two world wars. The race did take place in 1914, the starter pistol having been fired the same morning as the pistol shot that killed Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo and precipitated the First World War. The next Tour was after the war in 1919.

The 1939 Tour took place a few weeks before the outbreak of the Second World War but without teams from Germany, Italy or Spain, as animosity across Europe had long since reached heights that prevented sporting camaraderie. The race would not be run again until 1947 in spite of German pressure to run it during the war years in order to maintain a semblance of normality in occupied France.

It took the Tour de France 110 years to reach its centenary race in 2013 because of the years lost to the two world wars

Ray Hamilton

Just one more Cornetto

Spaniard Federico Bahamontes was one of the great climbers but was so afraid of descending on his own that he would wait at the top of a col for other riders to arrive before continuing down the mountain. He once spent several minutes eating ice cream by the side of the road until the others caught up.

Such was his lack of confidence cornering on the way down that he would take one foot off the pedal to balance himself in the style of a speedway rider. Notwithstanding all of this, he still won the Yellow Jersey in 1959 and the King of the Mountains classification six times.

Brit Abroad

In 1955 Brian Robinson from Huddersfield became the first British rider to complete the Tour. He then became the first Brit to win a stage when he won a bunch sprint into Brest in 1958 and proved it was no fluke the following year when he broke away from the peloton to win a stage by 20 minutes.

The Cowboy

The Swiss rider “Ferdi” Kubler winner of the 1950 Tour, was known as “the Cowboy” on account of the stetsons he often wore. He was a high-spirited and impulsive rider, given to strategically unwise attacks out of sheer exuberance and competitive drive. Following a bout of over-exuberance on Mont Ventoux during the 1955 Tour, he overdid things to such an extent that he was forced to pull over at a roadside café. To the surprise of the café’s customers, he shouted out “Stand clear Ferdi about to explode!” before jumping back on his bike and heading off in the wrong direction.

Big Mig

Following the removal of Lance Armstrong from the records, the Spaniard Miguel Indurain is the only man in history to win five consecutive Tours (1991-1995). His power came from unusual physiological traits: a big frame (for a cyclist), a lung capacity of eight litres (the average man has six) and a resting pulse of 28 beats per minute (half the normal average), which meant his heart didn’t have to work as hard and his blood could pump more oxygen around his body. In 2000 he was voted Spain’s Sportsman Of The Century ahead of Seve Ballesteros.

A stitch in time...

Louison Bobet was the first rider to win three consecutive Tours (1953-1955). But he was also known as a bit of a crybaby and the French press lambasted him for it. He obsessed about personal hygiene considering pure wool the only material hygienic enough for a bike rider. So when he was presented with a yellow jersey, he refused to wear it on account of its artificial yarn content. In the end someone had to work through the night to produce a pure wool version.

Back-breaking stuff

Frenchman Victor Fontan took two bullets in the leg during the First World War but still went on to race his first Tour in 1924 at the ripe old age of 32. At the even riper age of 37, he crashed while wearing the Maillot Jaune in 1929. Because of the rule that you had to finish a stage with the same bike you started with, he borrowed a fresh one and rode it through the Pyrenees with the original bike strapped to his back!

A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do

There is an unwritten rule that riders won’t seek to take advantage of a roadside toilet break. (A number of riders will typically stop together on a quiet stretch of road, as they are not allowed to pee en masse in front of spectators.) The same unwritten rule applies whenever a rider has to have a more private moment in the bushes.

If time is of the essence, three or four riders link together to allow the man in the inside to have a pee without stopping. It is very important to take account of wind direction in manoeuvres of this nature.

Who needs hands?

Giant cardboard hands handed out to spectators have been known to injure riders as they sped past overexcited crowds. After Norway’s Thor Hushovd had his arm gashed in 2006 by a spectator brandishing one over the barrier during a sprint finish, they were finally withdrawn in favour of foam rubber ones.

l To order a copy of Le Tour De France: The Greatest Race In Cycling History by Ray Hamilton (Summersdale, £9.99) with free UK delivery, please send a cheque or PO made payable to Express Bookshop to: Hamilton Offer, PO Box 200, Falmouth TR11 4WJ or call 01872 562310 or online at www.expressbookshop.com